Upgrade to Windows 10: FAQ

An upgrade moves your PC from a previous version of Windows—such as Windows 7 or Windows 8.1—to Windows 10. This FAQ is intended to answer questions about upgrading to Windows 10.

An update ensures you have the most recent features and security improvements for your current version of Windows. If you want to update your device and need more info, see Windows Update: FAQ.

Note

If you’re looking for info on a specific error code, see Get help with Windows activation errors. There, you can press CTRL+F and type or paste the error code into the search box to find specific information about your code and how to resolve it.

Yes, the media creation tool and Windows 10 installation media (ISO files) are available for customers to install Windows 10. If you’re installing Windows 10 for the first time, you’ll need to enter a valid Windows 10 product key or buy a full version of Windows 10 during setup for this tool to work. If you’ve previously installed Windows 10 on your device, you should have a digital license and Windows 10 will automatically activate without entering a product key.

After you upgrade to Windows 10, you can reinstall or do a clean installation on the same device. You won't need a product key to reactivate Windows 10 on the same hardware. For more info on how to create your own Windows 10 installation media, see the Microsoft software download website.

We're committed to making sure customers using assistive technologies can upgrade to Windows 10. For more info about the free upgrade offer for customers using assistive technologies, see Accessibility and the Windows 10 free upgrade. Note: The accessibility upgrade offer expired on December 31, 2017.

For customers who are still in the process of upgrading, the following questions and answers provide more details.

The time that is required to upgrade to Windows 10 depends on factors such as the age of your device and how it’s configured. Most devices will take about an hour to upgrade as soon as the download is completed. Although older devices could take longer, some newer, high-performance devices might upgrade faster.

Devices with a 32 GB hard drive or older devices with full hard drives, might need additional storage space to complete the upgrade. If you don’t have sufficient space, try removing files or apps you no longer need or use Disk Cleanup to free up space. Learn more at Tips to free up drive space on your PC.

During the upgrade, you might be asked to free up space on your device or attach an external drive with sufficient space to continue with the upgrade. If you attach an external drive, make sure to keep it in a safe place after the upgrade in case you need it for recover options.

There are several ways for you to go back from Windows 10 to a previous version of Windows:

You'll be able to go back to an earlier version by selecting the Start button > Settings > Update & Security > Recovery . Then select Get started under Go back to the previous version of Windows 10. This will keep your personal files, but it’ll remove apps and drivers installed after the upgrade as well as any changes you made to settings. The option to go back to your previous version of Windows 10 is only available for a limited time following the upgrade.

If your PC manufacturer provided the option, you might be able to restore your device to factory settings.

If options to go back and restore factory settings aren’t available, you can use installation media and a product key to install an earlier version of Windows.

If the manufacturer set up your PC to run from a compressed Windows image file (also known as Windows image file boot or WIMBoot) and included the option to restore factory settings, that option will no longer be available after you upgrade to Windows 10.